Take a picture of your plot for this National Allotment Week contest

A Chichester-based organic compost firm is launching a competition to celebrate National Allotment Week (August 13-19).

According to the Food Foundation, diets that are low in vegetables are associated with more than 20,000 premature deaths across the UK while eating one more portion of vegetables could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost a fifth.

The West Sussex company Earth Cycle is encouraging allotment holders to send in pictures of either their plot or their produce.

The winning allotment holder will receive a bulk bag (750L-1000L) of a product of their choosing from the Earth Cycle range including Topsoil, Soil Conditioner, Mushroom Compost, Mulch and Bark.

Mike Jupp, manager at Earth Cycle, said: “National Allotment Week is a true cause for celebration; it shares so many of the values that we believe in here at Earth Cycle. There are so many benefits to growing your own fruit and vegetables, not just on the environment but also on our mental and physical health so we hope that by asking allotment holders to share pictures of their plots, it will in turn encourage others to grow their own too.”

As well as the competition, Earth Cycle will be posting a series of tips and guides with advice on allotment gardening throughout National Allotment Week for novice gardeners.